Sophie Kuijper Dickson, LJI Journalist
The MRC Pontiac invited local media to a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Feb. 12 to unveil updates it has made to the tourism information office hosted in the lobby of its main building.
Using $85,000 of provincial revitalization money obtained through the Regions and Rurality funding from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the MRC installed a new digital sign along Highway 148, as well as a display of items for sale from Pontiac agricultural producers in its lobby.
About 75 per cent of this total was used to purchase and install the sign, and the remaining funding was used to develop the display of products. The MRC provided in-kind support and coordination of the project.
“The MRC Pontiac is proud to unveil the recent improvements to the tourism information office, marking a major transformation aimed at enhancing the experience for visitors and the local community,” said Stéphanie Hébert-Potter, the MRC’s economic development commissioner for tourism.
Hébert-Potter said the sign will be used to display local community events as well as civil security alerts about weather and road conditions. The MRC will soon send out a note to municipal director generals explaining the process of submitting a community event to be listed on the sign.
As for the display of local products, Hébert-Potter said the MRC doesn’t buy the items for sale from producers, but rather offers the shelving space for producers to sell them directly to visitors. She said the shelves are open to any producer from the Pontiac region who creates products “based off something grown here.”
The businesses currently selling products at the MRC include, among others, Coronation Hall Cider Mills, La Fée Des Bois Apothecary, Bristol Bee Honey, and Leystone Farms.
“Probably one of the biggest challenges for farms and small producers and artisanal providers is to be able to get the exposure they need for a product, to help people understand their story, why it’s different, and where it came from,” said Trefor Munn-Venn, who owns Luskville-based Leystone Farms with his wife Karri Munn-Venn.
The two are selling wool pellets, made from recycled sheep’s wool that would otherwise go to waste, that can be used to enrich garden soil. He said he doesn’t expect to see significant sales through the MRC, but that the visibility offered by the display is critical to spreading the word about his farm’s fairly new product.
Karri noted the inauguration of the new display of local products is timely.
“In light of everything that’s going on in the broader political context where there’s more awareness about shopping local, and real interest in finding out where our food and other agricultural products come from [ . . .] [It’s great] to be able to help make that link and be one of the farms showcasing what’s produced in the region.”